Meek Mill’s Blues Bring Out The Best In His Music (Video)

Since launching his Dreamchasers mixtape series in 2011, Meek Mill has landed a front-row seat at some of Rap’s loudest altercations with artists like Drake, the Game, and Beanie Sigel. With the release of DC4 last week, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC is giving his music the chance to speak for itself, the first such opportunity since dropping the two-part 4/4 EP series at the top of 2016. Featuring Pusha T, Nicki Minaj, Tory Lanez and others, DC4 for many serves as proving grounds for Meek Mill, who in the eyes of some is struggling to stand on his own following the aforementioned beefs. But on “Blue Notes” – which now has a corresponding video – it seems Meek has walked through the storm and emerged with the kind of clarity that only comes from struggle.

The song samples the deep Bluesy guitar and lyrics of Snowy White’s “Midnight Blues,” in which the words “this is my blues, because I’m back down on my own again/this is the Blues I’m playing, yes it’s a fine old thing/when the night is cold and lonely” are used to introduce Meek’s first verse. At one point, Meek asks listeners to “do me one favor, take a few steps back and look at yourself. Matter of fact, take yourself outside your body and then look at yourself, and then see how you’re playing yourself.” Such a tone of self-discovery and personal contentment can also be seen in the visuals, which depict Meek and a group of friends without a care in the world, pleased to enjoy the finer things in life because they are living proof of personal triumph over adversity, whether on the streets or within one’s own internal battles. Nearly every scene in the video features large stacks of $100 notes, which lends a deeper level of meaning to the song’s title.

Heads may notice the prominent timestamp in the video, which seems to indicate the video (or at least the song’s message) was envisioned back in June of this year. It’s clearly an intentional inclusion, which could perhaps be there to suggest that despite so much media attention to drama, Meek Mill has always been focused on himself and his journey.